The Art and Culture of Umayyad Damascus and Abbasid Baghdad (650 - 950)

Cloth $34.95ISBN: 9783777422442
Published
December 2014
For sale in North America and Japan only

Early Capitals of Islamic Culture reproduces archaeological materials and selected masterpieces from the first centuries of Islam that, together, chart the transition from pre-Islamic to Islamic culture. Showing how ancient techniques and aesthetic practices were adapted alongside the appearance of bold new innovations, the book provides deep insights into this fascinating period of art and cultural history. Published to accompany a major joint exhibition of the Sharjah Museums Department of the United Arab Emirates and the State Museums of Berlin, which hold a particularly rich collection of early Islamic art and artifacts and have among their aims the raising of public awareness about the achievements of early Islamic culture, the publication of Early Capitals of Islamic Culture also celebrates Sharjah’s recognition as Islamic cultural capital for 2014.

Introduction The Urban legacy of the Middle EastStefan Weber The Power of the Word—From Coin Reform to TombstoneGisela Helmecke

Damascus and the Umayyad Empire The Umayyad Empire, its Capital Damascus and the “Desert Castles”Stefan Weber Khirbat al-Minya—A Local “Desert Castle”Gisela Helmecke Having a Bath in the DesertStefan Weber Mshatta: Islamic Art and its Connections to AntiquityKatharina Meinecke and Sophia Vassilopoulou

Baghdad and the Abbasid Empire The Abbasid Empire and its Residential Cities Baghdad, Raqqa and SamarraJulia Gonnella Ctesiphon: The Sasanian Heritage in the Early Islamic EraUte Franke Samarra, the Ephemeral CapitalJulia Gonnella Trendy Trade with Blue-and-White Dishes: Early Networks of Ceramic Exchange between East and WestIsabelle Dolezalek The Shimmer of Gold—Lustre Ceramics in SamarraGisela Helmecke

For more information, or to order this book, please visit http://www.press.uchicago.edu